The Toilet Paper Black Market In Venezuela

Have you heard of the black market for toilet paper? It’s a real thing and it’s happening right now in Venezuela. Venezuela’s economy is almost entirely dependant on oil exports, and oil prices have fallen worldwide in recent years, leaving Venezuela without a strong source of income. What’s compounding the problem, though, is that the government is so corrupt it lost $1 trillion in oil revenues through theft and corruption, leaving the country in veritable poverty.

Even though the world outside of Venezuela knows what’s going on, the Venezuelan people aren’t able to get information from the media or try to get laws changed. There has been widespread censoring of the media- media owners have had their homes raided and their broadcasting licenses revoked and journalists have had their homes broken into and children threatened. In 2014 a third of journalists refused to report certain stories out of fear of their personal safety, and all acts of congress have been voided by the Supreme Court.

Brian Wallace is the Founder and President of NowSourcing, an industry leading infographic design agency , based in Louisville, KY and Cincinnati, OH which works with companies that range from startups to Fortune 500s. Brian also runs #LinkedInLocal events nationwide, hosts the Next Action Podcast, and has been named a Google Small Business Advisor for 2016-2018. Follow Brian Wallace on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.